A Vermillion's Dilemma
by 0 Green-Eyed Goon 0
Summary: A grand occasion such as a Sensational 16th Birthday Gala should be met with unbridled excitement! However, all Mimosa feels for it is dread and frustration, especially when an unknown force is threatening to bring the entirety of House Vermillion down on their knees! With Asta by her side, can they survive a night full of demanding expectations and deadly sneak attacks?


**Hello to all Black Clover fans bored enough to scroll through one of their favorite fanfic forums, if that is the case, and a word of warning. While I do love writing, this is one of my first ever_ published _Fanfictions, and while I know it may be a little long winded and maybe even over the top, I hope some of you are willing to read it until the end(of at least this chapter) and leave me an honest review of what you think, be it a simple "interesting" or plain "you suck", although I'm hoping it won't be that harsh... (_)**

**This is set after the Royal Knights Exam, mostly because I just had this weird urge to see if I could write a character like Kirsch believably, but before they do their whole attack on the Eye of the Midnight Sun. I know the timeline might be a little skewed and not follow along completely with the anime, but that's because I noticed on the Fan Wiki Page how Mimosa's Birthday is listed as the 26 of August,**** the day I had originally planned for the third chapter to be released, but by reading this I'm sure you can guess how well that panned out.**

**So, enough with the blabbering, let the fluffiness and mix of enjoyment begin!**

For all of the wonderful qualities Mimosa Vermillion possessed, her kindness, her patience, that shining smile of hers, and most of all, her ever-present sense of modesty, none of those could help her rid the swirling force of emotions overwhelming her that day. She felt as if she were in the eye of tornado, a condensed tornado that threatened to lift her off the very ground she stood on and carry her away, never to be seen again.

_Although, maybe that wouldn't be the worst-case scenario. _She thought, placing her delicate knuckles beneath her chin, her arm resting atop her cherry wood desk as she allowed her eyes to wander up to her opaque colored high ceiling._ It would at least get me away from all of this, so that would solve one problem, right? I could do that easily via broomstick, go out for a last-minute outing before the festivities begin, lay low somewhere outside of the capital for a little bit until it ends, and return to face the consequences. They might just believe me if I claim I had simply lost control of my broom, gotten lost and couldn't return until the late hours. _"That doesn't sound too far-fetched, does it, Fuzzfawn?" She spoke out loud, posing the question to no one else but a small, peach pastel colored plush doll of a baby deer sitting on the edge of her desk, it's little head tilted up towards her, blue button eyes shining as bright and new as ever, despite the many years she's had it.

The toy, of course, did not respond, and it's not as if Mimosa expected it to, but asking this question out loud did help to lessen the weight of stress she was carrying on her shoulders, even if her only answer was silence. The young mage has always found comfort in discussing difficult choices and frustrating situations with her Fuzzfawn, ever since she received her when she was just a child of five-years-old and far too self-conscious to confess her worries to anyone else. Even with all the friends and comrades she's made over the years, the deepest concerns she's felt has always gone to her precious doll. But today, all the lovable fawn could do was gaze up at her with it's sewn on eyes with a look Mimosa translated as, _"What do you think?"_

At this, the girl sighed deeply. "You're right, they'd never believe me." Taking the doll into her arms, she gently set it on her lap as she leaned back into her dark wooden, blue velvet cushioned armchair and closed her eyes, continuing her internal dilemma with her head set against the head rest. "Father knows all too well how good of a broomstick rider I am and that I'd never lose control, not without an outside force to blame, and I doubt there will be any rainstorms to strike us out of nowhere any time soon. Oh, if only…."

By now you're most likely asking yourselves what in all of the Clover Kingdom could have the youngest daughter of House Vermillion, rookie Magic Knight of the Golden Dawn and a beloved member of royalty in such an anxious state of mind, locked up in her room and practically praying for a sudden rain flood? Quite simple, actually, but to the young royal it was anything but.

Ever since the month of August began, the Vermillion manor where Mimosa resides has been absolutely abuzz with excitement and anticipation, planning a number of things all set to take place on a very important date. What variety of food is to be served, what entertainment shall be shown, the type of music to be danced to, the decorations spread out throughout the house and hall(which will no doubt be coordinated by the cherry-blossom spewing show off himself, Mimosa had no doubt) and, of course, the all-important guest list and distributing of invitations.

Most girls turning Mimosa's age would no doubt be over joyed at the prospect of having such a grand and extravagant event take place in their own home, especially for their birthday.

Yes, the young Vermillion was turning another year older, 17 to be exact, and while she appreciated all the planning and attention to detail her family has been putting into to assure her Birthday Gala would be a night to remember throughout the capital, all this fussing about and rumors going around about her for the first half of the month has left Mimosa with nothing but a feeling of dread in her stomach that was as heavy as stone.

However, it wasn't the rumors or the catering staff repeatedly questioning and double checking with her about the evening's menus that had gotten her so worked up just two days before the big night. Not even her older brother Kirsch barging into her room right when she gets home or on her days off to lecture and brag about the so-called _divine_ gown he was putting together for his beautiful little sister's special night, although it had become a close second. No, what made Mimosa's stone of dread suddenly transmogrify into butterflies whenever she just thought about it was sitting innocently there on her desk, unaware of how it's very presence made the healing nature mage equally flustered and torn all at the same time. Sitting there was a carmine red envelope that contained a formal invitation to her 16th Birthday Gala Celebration, sealed shut by a golden colored wax with the Vermillion family's emblem pressed down onto it. The only task her family would allow Mimosa to take on in all the party planning was the guest list, or at least half of it, which meant she was free to invite any of her closest friends and colleagues if she wished, something she had finished fairly easily from the start. All but one, that is.

The recipient of this certain invite, for reasons she could not quite grasp as of yet, was someone she couldn't even see herself facing without blushing profusely, stuttering like a fool and basically making an utter twit of herself, especially if she intends to hand him something so formal. What sent this sweet, yet strong mage into such a tizzy in the first place was the name written so elegantly on the back of the envelope in cursive, as simple as can be since he had no last name to speak of.

_Asta._

"...I'm such a coward, aren't I?" She whimpered more to herself than her Fuzzfawn as she finally opened her eyes, feeling as if ages had passed already since she'd awoken from her restless sleep from the night before instead of the measly hour and a half. It was another bright and shining morning in the Clover Kingdom, blue skies with nary a cloud in sight, the birds chirping happily and the kingdom's citizens already beginning their own separate routines for the day. Normally, Mimosa would've been dressed, fully fed and out and about within the city herself long ago, but on this particular morning she was feeling rather…. Sluggish. A feeling she wasn't quite accustomed to, since she's been an early riser for as long as she could remember, but had to admit was rather nice. When she woke, she just couldn't bring herself to change out of her short-sleeved night gown, the mint green cotton one with white pinstripe pattern along the long skirt, nor out of bed for the longest time while she tossed and turned, until she noticed the invitation still waiting on her desk. Abandoning her hopes for more sleep, she begrudgingly got up, only to end up doing the exact same thing she did last night.

Sitting at her writing desk, moaning about her trivial problem with her arms wrapped around Fuzzfawn and basically avoiding the last person she'd need to cross off her side of the guest list, a task Mimosa still thinks her parents just gave to her to help her feel more at ease about the upcoming event.

It didn't work in the least, but it was still nice to know they cared for her state of mind.

"I've seen Asta take on and beat a ridiculously strong mage from the Diamond Kingdom, Yuno single-handedly defeating two of that same country's Eight Shining Generals, and Noelle overpowering her own older brother during the Royal Knights Tournament Exam." Listing off the various things she's witnessed her fellow Magic Knights have accomplished, Mimosa suddenly stood up from her seat, a fierce look upon her face capable of intimidating thieves and criminals foolish enough to cross her path, but would be hard to take seriously at the moment with her stuffed animal pressed against her chest in a rather adorable manner. "If they can do all that, then surely, I can invite Asta to my own birthday, maybe even as my-!"

"Good morning, my blooming morning glory~!" The familiar and ever irksome singsong voice of her older brother washed across the room, courtesy of the Royal Pain himself swinging her bedroom door open and bursting in without even a warning.

This startled Mimosa at first, making her jump up and stumble into her desk, nearly falling over if it wasn't for her quick reflexes grabbing onto the edge. "KIRSCH!" She spun her head around to glare at him, her own voice hinted with a slight whiny tone and scowling, but she couldn't help it. Would it kill him to leave her alone for a day?! She'd even take half of one, anything to get away from him when they both happen to be at home at the same time. "You claim to be a gentleman, yet you don't even bother to knock on your own sister's door! What if I was still asleep?"

"Nonsense!" He said in his usual dramatic tone, taking up one of his dignified noblemen poses as he leaned against the doorway, his fingertips against his forehead, his other hand set against his hip and wearing that signature smug smirk of his. "If you're anything like me, and I know you are, then you of all people know the importance of morning preparation! Awakening yourself at the crack of dawn is the only way to assure you with all the time one needs when regaining their beauty for another day of absolute glamour and near divinity!"

"Is that so?" She monotonously responded as she regained her composure, her face completely neutral as she refused to acknowledge her brother anymore and made her way to her four-poster bed, planning on busying herself. Hopefully Kirsch would take the hint and leave, but Mimosa had a feeling that it would go unnoticed. _The day I wake up at the crack of dawn just to do my hair or whatever he goes through is the day I relinquish my identity as Mimosa Vermillion and take the title of "Little Kirsch"! _She shuddered at the thought, which also went unnoticed by the flamboyant heir as he waltzed into her room.

"Indeed, Little Sister! In fact, I am quite surprised to find you still in your sleeping wear instead of your outfit for the day, I hope you're not planning to laze about, wouldn't want that pure energy of yours to rot away," He continued, seemingly oblivious to his sister's hint of him to leave and instead stood right behind her, watching her idly as she made her bed. "But I must confess, even in this state, you are still the definition of natural beauty, courtesy of the family resemblance~!"

Mimosa couldn't help but roll her eyes at this while her back was turned to him as she finished tidying up her bed, placed Fuzzfawn against the number of lace and decorative pillows with floral patterns she had carefully displayed along the headboard of the bed(a compulsive habit she acquired from Kirsch due to the years of unwanted inspections he would make to her room when she was a child). "Yes, yes, whatever you say. Now, other than coming in to point out the few similarities we share, is there any other reason you've come so out of the blue?" She managed to ask as politely as she could, holding back the biting tone she'd been dying to use on him and turned around to face him, her eyes closed and wearing a tight lipped smile of tolerance.

"Ah, of course! Mother wanted me to check in on you and ask how your half the guest list is coming along. I surely hope the people you've invited are at least half as refined and pristine as our noble family. It'd be too much to ask for them to be as beautiful as myself~"

It took a great amount of self restraint on Mimosa's part not to cringe physically at her brother's self absorbed bragging, sufficing for a mental one instead while keeping her tight smile. "Well thank you ever so much, but you can put Mother at ease by telling her that it is nearly complete."

"Nearly~? Ooh, who's the last attendee?" He questioned, his usual smug expression switched to one of curiosity towards this update.

_...Oops. _Mimosa knew right away she shouldn't have said that. Curse Kirsch and his unintentional way of skewing her thoughts! If he knew who that last invite was for, there's no doubt he would whisk it away and go into a long, blowhard rant about how it is their duties as Royals to keep the commoner folk as separate as possible from the high class and worthy citizens of Clover, etc., etc.. That's the last thing she wanted to hear today, much less at all since it was _her_ birthday they were hosting and she had every right to invite whomever she wanted, their social standing the farthest thing from her mind.

Thankful for her quick thinking, Mimosa knew exactly what to do to avoid answering him and spoke in the sweetest and most pleasant tone she could muster. "Oh, don't you worry your perfect little head about that, big brother, I'm sure you, much like our esteemed parents, have far greater things to get done than worry about something so trivial." She quickly made her way around him and back towards her desk, grabbing a cream-colored quill from the inkwell without Kirsch noticing.

"Oh, how true! With the much-anticipated event so close now, we cannot afford to slack off in the slightest!" Mimosa could've sworn he was upping his tone to the most dramatic level possible, once again pulling his cool and perfect pose by turning his head to the side, both eyes closed with his back facing her. "Even so, I must assure that every point of this gala, including our guests, are nothing less than-!"

She couldn't let him continue his monologue any longer, less she be tempted to shove him right out her door courtesy of much rougher side of her flower magic, so she did the only civil thing she could think of. Using his endless blabbing as the perfect distraction, Mimosa used the point of her quill to swiftly splatter the ink onto Kirsch's beloved Corral Peacocks cape and uttered a horrified gasp, the man himself none the wiser. "Oh, no!"

"What is it, dear…?" Opening his eyes in alarm, he saw the shocked look on her face directed down at the ground, unaware of the quill she hid behind her back. Kirsch glanced down, only for his eyes to widen in a much more aghast manner. "OH, MY LORD, PLEASE NO!" The man formerly smirking with all the confidence in the world was practically screeching, no longer smiling in any way as he stared at the ink currently blemishing his no longer flawless cape.

"My, that looks like it could leave quite the stain, I wonder how you got that on your way up here?" Mimosa mused innocently, hiding her involvement like a true expert. "If I were you, big brother, I'd go and—" Without so much as giving a response, her pompous and vain sibling was already out the door, practically flying to most likely rid himself of the ink blot. "Hee-hee, works every time." She giggled to herself and smiled for the first time in the last few days, feeling rather proud of herself for the moment as she placed the quill back into it's well. Sure, it was an underhanded act, but what choice did she have if she wanted to get on with her day off?

And with that, Mimosa had gotten herself dressed and ready for the day ahead, deciding to go with a simple Prussian blue long dress with elbow length sleeves and a modest neckline; along the end of both sleeves and the skirt was a lining of baby blue flowery lace. A favorite dress of hers she wears whenever she feels down on herself, although it doesn't reflect that mood at all, along with a pair of matching dark blue flats. After equipping herself with her maroon satchel that held everything she'd need for her trip to the market, Mimosa took once last glance at the envelope on her desk. _Should I bring it, just in case I run into him?_

Without giving it another thought, she snatched it off the desk and carefully tucked it away in her satchel, then turned her attention back to her cherished stuffed toy. Bending over the bed, she gave it a quick kiss on the forehead and said, "Wish me luck, Fuzzfawn. I'm probably going to need it." She confessed with a nervous smile before straightening herself up and walked up to the door, mentally mapping out her plans for the day while simultaneously trying to settle down the flurry of butterflies inside and the soft blush spreading across her smiling face.

_The odds may be a long shot, but just in case... It never hurts to ask, right?_

**||~O~O~||**

Near noon, located in the darker side of the Royal Capital's market place was the source of the young Vermillion's torn feelings, Asta of the Black Bulls himself, who was currently receiving an earful of insults from his fellow squad mate, Noelle Silva. "You just had to ask, didn't you, Dorksta!" The highly annoyed royal yelled more than questioned as she finished tying up the ropes around her half of their captives, who were unconscious and in a rather battered and bruised state.

"Hey, don't blame me!" The so-called Dorksta tried to defend himself while undergoing the same knot tying task as his teammate "All I said to the guy in charge was, 'You guys aren't up to anything sneaky, are you?' Then, BAM! They all started coming at us as if we were accusing them of something bad!"

"That's because they _were_ up to something sneaky and bad." Noelle said and stood up from her kneeling position, patting her hands together to get the dust off as she glared down at Asta with her usual _superior_ disdain. "Isn't that right, Vanessa?"

"You bet!" Vanessa Enoteca cheerfully said from behind one of the market place's stands, perusing through a few open chests and crates. "Looks like these guys have been using this Food Stand as a cover to hide the fact that they've been trading and shipping out illegal and dangerous magical items to who knows where within or outside the Capital." To help explain, she held up a small, detailed statue in the shape of a fox that looked to made out of amber with onyx lining, it's eyes two dots of solid gold. "I remember reading a little bit about this fella from one of my old spell books. Supposedly, if you stare into its eyes for more than 10 seconds, it'll suck you in and trap you within your own mind, doomed to show you your greatest desires and wishes over and over again."

"Doomed? Seriously?" Finral Roulacase sounded doubtful as he spoke up from his spot on the sidelines, leaning against a brick alley wall with a brow raised in slight intrigue. Per his pacifist way of life, he had kept himself out of the fight between his squad mates and gang of black market traders, occasionally helping his friends get the advantage over the goons. "If it shows you whatever you want most, that really doesn't sound like such a bad thing to me."

"Trust me, it does when it leaves you completely comatose with nearly no way out, you'd basically be a mindless husk." Vanessa disagreed, quickly using a portion of her thread magic to wrap up the statue and tuck it away, a relaxed smile on her face. "Most Magic Knights look the other way when it comes to this side of the market, but when you guys blow your cover like this over a curious kid asking questions, plus the fact that a lot of your goods here could put a lot of people in danger... Well, you were kind of asking for it."

Vanessa's good intention scolding went unheard of by the men of course, and perhaps that was due to the over the top beating they had received, courtesy of not only Asta, but by Magna Swing and Luck Voltia as well. The so-called delinquent of the two who stood next to the huddle of criminals nudged one of the men with the toe of his boot, testing for signs of consciousness. "Yeah, I don't think they caught any of that, looks like they're out cold."

"Awww, too bad," Luck whined next to Magna with a pout on his face. "Talk about weak, that was hardly a fight at all, don't even thinks it counts as a warm up!"

Asta sighed tiredly as he looked down at the group of men, thinking that this was just what he had in mind when his friends invited him along on their patrol of the Capital, although it started out more like window shopping and admiring all the interesting stuff the vendors had to offer. It was starting to feel more like hanging out than actual work, right up until a certain stand had caught the ash blonde's eye, the sign above claiming to sell his beloved pop potatoes that instantly reminded him of Hage Village, which struck him as strange since he'd never heard about it ever being sold around the city before. "Huh, who knew asking one itty-bitty question like that would set off such a ruckus, huh?" He asked no one in particular.

"With you around, there's always bound to be some sort of upheaval or another about to happen, Asta. I'd thought you'd learn that by now." Noelle snidely commented and crossed her arms as she walked up to stand beside him.

"Well if that's how ya feel, then why'd ya insist on coming with us so badly, ya royal snob?" Magna couldn't help but ask with a scowl, looking fed up with the Silva girl's high-and-mighty act.

"I-I did not!" She stuttered, trying to hide the growing blush on her face by turning her head away from the rest. In truth, ever since she received her annual invitation to Mimosa's Birthday Gala last week, Noelle has tried and failed to get Asta alone with her long enough to ask him if he'd come along as her plus one. It's been easier said than done so far, to say the least, apparently no one in their squad can go a single moment without having him do some sort of task, favor or just mess around with. Not that he made it any easier for her when she would start to ask, always excusing himself to go and begin his strength training. As much as she secretly admired him for his dedication, it frustrated the water mage to no end. She was on the verge of giving up, right up until she overheard Vanessa and Finral, as well as Luck and Magna, invite him along on their patrol, knowing fully well it was their go-to excuse to get out of the hideout for the day. She had planned to ask him when everyone had eventually scattered to do their own thing, but her pride as royalty wouldn't let her speak so freely about it, so she hastily put an excuse together. "I just thought I'd grant you all the pleasure of my company today, not because I wanted to spend time with As-"

"Hey, one of 'em's getting away!" Asta interrupted her as he lifted up his sword, pointing it in the direction of one of the skinnier men fleeing the scene and out of the ally. "I'll get him, you all go ahead and handle these guys, I'll be back!" Without even giving them time to respond, the determined Magic Knight took off in the blink of an eye, following the crook with great speed and right past Noelle, who squeaked in surprise at Asta's sudden rush.

"Y-you muscle head, d-don't go after him alone!" Without thinking, something she was doing more and more nowadays thanks to Asta, Noelle gave chase, both disappearing out of sight when they turned the corner to the next street. This was her chance to ask, no way was she gonna miss it!

"There's no reason to follow them, right?" Magna asked the others as he walked over to Vanessa who shook her head, grabbing her magic compact communication mirror seemingly from out of nowhere. "Nope, between our anti-magic Asta and water powerhouse Noelle, that guy doesn't stand a chance. Just gonna give Magic Knight HQ a call and let them know we've got a gang of perps to turn in, they'll be back in no time." She said with all the confidence in the world, having the utmost faith in her favorite rookie knights. With the two of them together, she knew there'd be no one out there they couldn't handle.

**||~O~O~||**

The two were in hot pursuit of the runner, Asta getting closer and closer to him by the minute, despite carrying the heavy broad sword, something he was accustomed to at this point but made sure wouldn't accidentally strike anyone as he ran pass various citizens, trying to get them out of his way as quickly yet politely as possible. "'Scuse me! Pardon me! Out of the way, please! Official Black Bulls business!" He said, trying to make his voice sound as authoritative as possible, but something in the disgusted way people looked at him when they heard the name of his squad made him think that detail might be better left unsaid. Even with all the good his squad has done, the number of stars they've earned and the praise and good word from the Wizard King they've gotten, many people in the Capital still seemed to refuse the obvious fact that the infamous squad was changing for the better. That they were a good band of knights who vowed to protect everyone in Clover to the bitter end, even if the nobles didn't want anything to do with them. Despite the negative words and repulsed looks he passed by, Asta's eyes never left his target who, fortunately for him, didn't seem to have the same amount of endurance as the well-muscled teen due to the goon's twig-like body. As soon as he started slowing down just outside of the crowd, Asta launched himself over it using his sword as a vault, soaring high above them with the citizens gazing up at him with wide and slightly astonished eyes.

"I GOT YOU NOW!" He shouted loudly, his sword lifted over his head and prepared to knock the man out with the flat side of his blade. The goon seemed to have given up, right up until he noticed an elegant looking lady strolling by just a few feet away in a daze and saw his opportunity.

"You think... so?" He huffed exhausted, but mustered up enough of his magic, the stone kind apparently, to direct it towards the young lady in the form of a giant stone hand that rose up from the ground and grabbed her from behind, raising her about 20 feet into the air, earning a shriek of surprise from her.

"What'd you...?" Asta turned around at the sound, distracted for the moment, giving the man plenty of time to send a stone pillar right into the teen's gut, effectively sending him plummeting to the ground. "HA! That's what you get, sucker! Didn't anyone ever teach you not to lose your focus in the middle of a chase?" The stone mage gloated, clearly proud of his sneak attack.

Grunting out in pain, Asta stood up shakily using his sword as a make-shift crutch and wincing at the solid blow he'd taken, scowling at the smug man in front of him. "That was a dirty trick... using a girl like that... is just plain underhanded...!"

"Spare me your chivalrous nonsense, you-"

"Plant Creation Magic: Magic Cannon Flower!" A feminine voice echoed across a rather familiar sounding spell that sent a golden blast of mana energy right to the side of the goon, sending him flying straight into a nearby wall.

"Is that...?" Turning his head around, Asta took a good look at the captive girl who was still being held by the stone hand, an opened up grimoire glowing a bright green light and floating beside her, as well as a giant green and reddish pink plant growing inexplicably from out of the broken stone ground, emitting a bright glow of mana from within it's petals. Which could only mean one person. "Mimosa! Man, am I glad to see you!" The boy grinned broadly, stood up and dashed over to the Golden Dawn girl, all previous signs of pain he felt now long gone.

"Oh, h-hello, Asta, same h-here." The girl greeted shyly, a small smile on her face as she looked down at him from her current position and thought, _So much for long shot odds... _"What a surprise to see you-"

"Sorry, but before we continue chatting, how about I get you down from there first?" He interrupted politely, failing to notice Mimosa's embarrassed blush and nodded hurriedly. "Cool, better brace yourself!" He warned quickly before swinging the blade of his sword against the stone, which crumbled instantly the moment his anti-magic weapon struck it, freeing the girl but leaving her to fall from a great height. Expecting a stinging hit to the ground, she was pleasantly surprised when she felt a pair of strong and well-toned arms catching her right before she made contact with the stone street, her eyes trailing up to that beaming smile of his. "Don't worry, as long as I'm around, I'll always be there to catch you!"

While this was meant to assure her, Mimosa couldn't stop the overwhelming redness from blooming across her face at Asta's words, a small voice at the back of her mind taking it another way. _You have no idea how much that means to me. Come on, Mimosa, no more day dreaming! Take your chance now while you have it! _Her thoughts encouraged her, pushing her forward to ask him the one thing she's been dwelling on all morning. "A-Asta, since you're here, there's s-something I've been meaning to g-give-"

"YOU LITTLE BUG!" An anger filled voice blasted from across the crowd, aimed directly at the towards them, effectively stopping the rest of Mimosa's sentence from coming out of her mouth, the girl herself startled by the shout. Looking over Asta's shoulder, she saw a silver haired girl pushing herself through the crowd rather rudely, a furious look on her face to match the tone of her voice and volume she was using, a girl she recognized to be her one and only cousin, Noelle. "How dare you run so far ahead of me like that, you didn't even wait for me! Don't you realize I could've used my magic to send you flying towards that runaway instead of thoughtlessly...!" She surely would've continued to berate her squad mate with every little thing he did wrong if it wasn't for the sight that faced her when Asta turned around, her eyes widening in a baffled sort of way.

"Oh hey, Noelle, were you following after that guy, too? I didn't even notice you!" He admitted, smiling apologetically before looking back down at Mimosa, not even registering the fact that he was still holding her in his arms. _Bridle style, of all things! _Noelle's panic-stricken thoughts screamed in her head. "And sorry for not realizing it was you that guy had caught sooner, Mimosa, I didn't recognize you for a minute there. I've never seen you in so much blue before, you look really nice in it!"

Unknown to Asta, his compliment left the poor, already blushing girl utterly speechless at this point, her mouth agape and looking as if she was about to pass out from the rush of excitement and praise all at the same time. For a long moment, the three of of them just stood there in silence, the two ladies staring blankly with wide eyes, failing to gather the correct thoughts together, and the young man completely clueless to it all. "So... uh, Noelle?" Asta tried to get his friend's attention, just now seeing the flabbergasted look on her face. "You okay? Don't you wanna go ahead and restrain that last crook now while he's knocked out?"

"I-I..." Noelle suddenly found the will to shake her head, and thus herself, out of her stupor before regaining her composure, once again aiming a displeased glare at him. "O-of course, and while I'm doing that, maybe you could finally let Mimosa stand on her own two feet!" She spat before spinning around on her heels and stomping off toward the man in question, bitterness still biting at the back of her mind.

"Huh?" Puzzled by her words for a minute, it wasn't until Asta looked down to meet a pair of greenish-yellow eyes staring into space that it struck him. "OH! Jeez, sorry about that! You just feel so light, I didn't even realize I was still holding you! You're okay, right?" And yet another compliment left Mimosa feeling as if her legs were made of jelly as her savior placed her down, keeping his hand on the small of her back to support her just in case she was still feeling dizzy from the fall. "Mh-Hmm..." She hummed her response and willed her legs to stop shaking already, averting her gaze to the ground in order to avoid the ash-blonde's eyes.

"Good to hear it. Ah, and thanks for the help over there with that stone guy," He said gratefully, pointing his thumb over his shoulder and behind him in the direction of the unconscious mage, who was currently being restrained by Noelle's water binding spell, the girl herself sneaking an occasional glance back towards the two and attempting to hear what they were talking about over the sound of the large crowd's hushed chatter nearby. "No surprise there, that cannon spell of yours is awesome! Hope you didn't let him have it too bad, though."

"N-no, I had the mana blast set awfully low, j-just enough so he'll be out of it f-for a bit..." She admitted shyly while brushing off the dust from her dress.

"Nice work! So from the look of that outfit, I'm guessing you must have the day off, huh? Sorry if we ruined it for you, that guy sure is sneaky." Asta continued apologizing while casually swinging his sword over his shoulder. "There's a whole gang of guys just like him back at the Vendor's Row up there, so since you took the last one down, you wanna come with us so you can get some credit for it? Might earn your squad a star?"

At this, Mimosa finally looked back up at him, surprised by Asta's offer until she thought, _Well of course he'd offer something like that, Asta's not himself if he's not being fair! _And shook her head as she answered. "It's quite all right, it sounds like your squad has the situation under control, and heaven knows mine is just fine when it comes to acquiring stars ourselves." _Wait, no! Why would I say that, it sounds like I'm bragging!_

Luckily, Asta didn't notice the unintended self-compliment she gave herself and just shrugged. "If you say so. Well, since you probably have plans already set for the day, Noelle and I better get back to work, so we'll catch you later!" He waved his hand as a quick goodbye and turned away.

"Wait, you're leaving already?" Mimosa blurted, sounding slightly disappointed at Asta's efficiency, not that she had any right to be. Much like herself, he had his own duties to fulfill, and normally she would let him get to it without a fuss, but he was standing right in front of her and she had the invite right there in her satchel, which she was now reaching inside of as she spoke up. "A-Asta, I know you're busy, but if you'll give me a m-moment, there's something I have for..." She paused when she felt inside her bag and could not feel the envelope anywhere, panic now igniting itself inside her mind. _Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no! Where is it?! It was right here while I was walking by before...!_

"Hey, what's this?" She heard Asta say out loud and glanced up just in time to see him squat down to pick up a familiar looking red envelope, the side with her family's crest stamped on it facing up. "This looks like something someone from your family would send out, Mimosa, is it yours?" He innocently asked and reached out to give the formal paper back to her.

Watching Asta try to return something she had been emotionally struggling to deliver to him for practically a week, the bubble of anxiousness, insecurity and raw frustration Mimosa's been holding in all that time had finally reached its limit, resulting in a very a loud, rushed and even harsh sounding outburst. "NO! IT'S FOR YOU, PLEASE TAKE IT ALREADY!" That sudden scream had attracted the attention of people passing by, shooting her with weary and questionable looks, Asta himself staring at her, looking more startled than anyone besides the girl herself, who had covered her mouth, apparently just as shocked as he was. "...For me?" Turning over the envelope to the other side to inspect it, he spotted his name in perfect cursive handwriting, which he assumed was Mimosa's, and didn't waste another second in opening it up. Using the point of his sword's sharp edged hilt, he carefully sliced open the top of the envelope with a suprising amount of finesse one wouldn't expect a guy like him to possess. _I never knew Asta had such a delicate touch... _Mimosa found herself thinking, her face finally cooling down from her little heated outburst and watched silently as he pulled out the ivory colored card bordered with orange and gold, his eyes widening at just the sight of it. "Wow, how fancy! Is this for some sort of super special event, or...?" He excitedly began, but trailed off the more he read, the corners of his mouth quirking up in an excited smile. "Hang on, this is for your birthday, Mimosa? Why didn't you say so sooner? I'd love to come!"

And in that moment, it was a combination of relief and pure joy that made the vermilion-haired girl feel as if she were floating on cloud 9, the sight of Asta's eagerness prompting a small and giddy smile of her own. "That makes me really glad to hear." She said, and bowed her head down in a sign of gratitude. "And please forgive me, I have failed to thank you as of yet for getting me out of that stone grip, and for saving me from a harsh landing."

"Nah, don't mention it, what are friends for?" Asta tried to wave it off casually, which the she knew was due to how humble of a person he was, but she frowned slightly when he said that one particular word. _I'll always be happy to have a friend like Asta at my side, loyal, honest and never afraid to say what's on his mind. If he makes such a wonderful comrade and friend now, then why not... That special someone? _Mimosa mused before she snapped herself back to reality and stood back up from her curtsied stance, just in time to see Noelle stomping back towards them with their captive in tow. Far too flustered as is to deal with her at the same time, the plant mage saw this as her cue to flee and turned around, but not before sparing the anti-magic mage one last glance. "It looks like you two really do have work to do, so I best take my leave. I-I hope to s-see you at the gala, Asta."

"Trust me, I wouldn't miss it for the world! Thanks so much!" He said, just as energetic as ever and practically beaming at her. As much as Mimosa would love to be around that smile of his all day, she knew she had her own duties to attend to, even if they were much more frivolous than what him and her cousin were undertaking, and just smiled back before skittering off to join the rest of the crowd that was gradually resuming their day now that the excitement was over. "What was all that about?" Noelle asked as she came up from behind Asta, dropping the man as if he were a sack of potatoes beside them, taking more of an interest in her squad mate who had his head down and staring at some sort of note with a lively enthusiasm. "Hm? What is that?" She leaned closer to peer over Asta's shoulders, and as soon as her pink-purple eyes saw the identical gala invitation she had received, plus one more little detail her dear cousin added to his invite, it took all of Noelle's mental will power to hold back the unintelligible and frustrated words from spewing out of her mouth. Unfortunately, she couldn't do the same for her mana, which instinctively spiked up and caused havoc all around, triggering a chain reaction of water to fire itself from various places around them. Stands and vendors carrying barrels of water were drenched, jugs and bottles began spraying their content at the hapless people passing through, the plumbing inside houses within the young Silva's range just as unlucky to have their pipes burst with water, flooding the cobblestone streets and leaving the people utterly panicked and soaked!

All because of one simple sentence at the bottom of the invitation.

_...Take the honor as the esteemed Escort for the Lady of the Night, the youngest Vermillion herself._


End file.
